Good afternoon, my name is Jeanine St. John, and today I am testifying on behalf of the Alaska Support Industry Alliance.

The Alliance is a statewide non-profit trade organization for the oil and gas industry support sector. Since the Alliance formed in 1979, we have advocated for the safe and responsible development of Alaska’s oil and gas resources.

On behalf of our nearly 500 members and their 40,000 Alaskan employees, the Alliance maintains its long tenure of support for oil and gas exploration in ANWR’s Coastal Plain. We are adamantly opposed to new federal Wilderness designations in ANWR. The Coastal Plain of ANWR represents one of the most promising areas for new oilfield discoveries. That’s clearly important to our members. But it’s not just Alliance members that depend on robust oil and gas activity. The truth is that every Alaskan business, every Alaskan resident, is dependent upon a healthy petroleum industry in this state.

ANWR could be a vital resource to the state’s economic health and a strategic energy resource for America. The support industry believes that there can be both responsible development to meet energy and economic needs, and protection of the natural environment. Thank you for the opportunity to provide comments on this important issue.